the once and future
by CHLOEOATS
Summary: AU. fifth year. Alexie, a fifteen year old whose father died 2 years ago and her mothers not quite the same, gets a strange visit from her uncle, informing her of a school interested in her attendance...


**CHAPTER ONE**

"In which a heroine is born"

Alexie walked along the sidewalk, trees encroaching on her from one side, she was walking like she did when she was a little kid, putting her heel directly in front of her toe with each step and so on, arms on each side of her, holding her balance. The cars from the other side of her, whizzing by going ten miles an hour over the speed limit, were taking her space up. They ruined the ambiance of the forest to her right, she always liked to get lost in the forest, the trees hiding her from oblivion. She loved it in there, nature made her feel at home. Sometimes it felt like the trees could talk to her, the wood calling to her, telling her their greatest dreams. She never really understood that, but she accepted it nonetheless.

However, today she could not go running around the woods, she had other _important_ things to tend to, according to her mother. Her mother was a haughty woman, obsessed with appearances and status. Her father however, when he was alive, was a man unlike any she'd ever met before. She knew a little about her history, she had powers that many other people did as well, but were to first and foremost supposed to be kept secret from anyone unlike her. Her mother had these powers as well, but chose to live with the muggles that, like her, cared only of status and appearance. They were one of those families in the tabloids, Alexie's family. She never cared for the gossip rags and how she looked to others, but her mother made sure she was to be very careful. She was homeschooled her whole life, her father teaching her magic up until he died two years ago, and her mother shoddily taking over after that, teaching her nothing of great importance, but her father had done well enough. She felt her phone vibrate in her jeans pocket, and answered it to her mother screaming at her to get home, that her uncle would be coming soon, apparating from his home in England. Alexie, like usual, hung up on her mother and slowly made her way home, taking the longest route possible, but still not taking long enough that it would warrant more screaming. However, her mother never usually paid attention to what warranted the verbal bashings, and just went ahead with them anyway. Her mother was a proud woman, too proud for what she actually was, though.

She walked through the front door of the estate, ignoring her mother's calls and instead heading into a bathroom to give her face a quick wash. There was nothing worse than the feeling of dirt in your pores, in Alexie's opinion. She turned the faucets off and turned around, a sharp crack coming from the front door startling her. Uncle Alpert was here, she thought to herself a bit miserably. Her mother was bound to make this an unpleasant encounter, to say the least. She made her way to the "drawing room" as her mother liked to call it in finer company. To Alexie it would always simply be the living room, one of her least favorite places in the entire manor. No matter, though, he uncle was waiting in the corner of the room, behind a leather chair, and her mother's usual scowl was replaced with a warm smile that sent a shudder down Alexie's back. How unsettling, a pit was filling her stomach. "Sorry I'm late, uncle, mother," she said, inclining her head to each on as she addressed them. It wasn't the most proper thing for her to do, but at this point, she hardly cared.

"My dear!" Her uncle exclaimed, walking to her slowly with his arms spread, ready to envelope her in a hug that she had no choice but to accept. "I haven't seen you in ages. How's life treating you?"

She grinned sarcastically, knowing she wasn't going to like what came out of her mouth, "Oh I've simply been fantastic, uncle," she bit back the rest of the reply, choosing to keep the peace for the time being. Alexie had a strong will and a sharp tongue, much to her mother's dismay. She was biting back that her uncle hadn't bothered to visit since her father's funeral, and instead looked up at him, wide-eyed, and smiled politely, "and how about you?" She could see her mother squirming and she bit back a grin, enjoying that she was making her mother feel so uncomfortable. Her uncle cleared his throat and smiled nervously, coughing once more before stepping back and motioning for her to take a seat on the plush couch. She backed up slowly and lowered down, barely sitting and more like hovering over the cushions.

"The reason I am here is…" he trailed off, looking nervously between her and her mother. He was clearly uncomfortable, and for some reason, it gave Alexie an odd sense of satisfaction. She may only be fifteen, but a fifteen year old can always sense when they had the advantage in a situation. He cleared his throat a third time, the sound was becoming nauseating as Alexie imagined the saliva hurtling out his throat. She gave a little shudder and he continued, "There is a witchcraft and wizardry school in Scotland. One of the best in the world, and your father and my Alma Matter, as it were. They've agreed to take you, despite being in your fifth year, because of what your father was able to teach you before he passed. They…" he couldn't seem to find his words once more, and Alexie was finding this to be quite frustrating. All the pausing was irritating, but she couldn't help but be curious. She was interested in all this, and was excited at the possibility of getting so far from her mother. She loved where she lived, there was nothing like upstate New York, but across the Atlantic were things she'd never even dreamed of seeing, including a school that teaches witchcraft to their students! She'd finally be surrounded by people that were like her, other than her relatives.

"What is this school called?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She didn't even want to let him finish his sentence off; he was simply taking far too long for her liking. He shoved his hand into his pocket and rummaged around a bit, before sighing and walking to his bag and rifling through it, finally producing a sealed letter, addressed to her in an oddly specific manner. Not only did it have her name and address, but the exact location of her room in the manor. How curious, she thought to herself, letting her fingers run over the parchment and examining it with her touch. She got to the seal and paused, examining the four animals surrounding a capitalized H. She was glad to see a lion, her favorite animal by far, and along with the lion, was an eagle, a badger, and a snake, however she was more focused on the lion than anything. She looked at her uncle, as if asking for permission to break the seal and read the letter, despite the fact it was already addressed to her. At his nod, she slid her finger under the seal and broke it, excitement rushing through her as she opened the letter and read it. "Hogwarts…?" She wondered aloud. She'd never remembered her father mentioning the school, but mostly what she remembered of her father was that he was nothing like her mother. She looked to her mother and then her uncle, and finally resting back on the letter, quietly saying to no one, "So I'm guessing I'm going here?"

Her uncle nodded slowly, and her mother, for the first time that Alexie could remember, had trouble getting words out. Finally, she too cleared her throat and quietly said, "Well, yes. It is quite an honor to go there at all… and them taking you so late…" Alexie didn't care much what her mother had to say, but inclined her head anyway in acknowledgement. Her uncle was shifting nervously, and Alexie turned her eyes on him.

"Why is it that they're letting me in so late?" She asked, her eyes narrowed in somewhat of a glare.

"Well," he begun, pressing his fingertips together nervously, "Your mother wasn't too fond of the idea of you leaving when you were eleven, when most children begin schooling, but they have always been very interested in you, Alex." She shuddered at the abbreviation of her name, but ignored it.

"Is there any particular reason why?" she wondered quietly, not really sure if she cared about the answer. Her uncle simply shook his head, looking her straight in the eye. She noted the fact he didn't speak the answer, but dropped it anyway. "Well… when am I going…?" She asked, sure she'd get a much better answer this time.

"In a week, you'll leave for England," her mother piped up, the second time she'd spoken since her uncle's arrival. She had little backbone, Alexie's mother, especially in tense situations, but Alexie didn't care much for her. She was excited to be able to get away from the house that carried so many memories of a father she'd never see again.

"I look forward to it," she proclaimed, and then found her way to her room, up the staircase and at the end of the corridor. When she finally made it into her room, her first order of business was falling back into her bed and sighing deeply. She knew there was something they weren't telling her, but she didn't mind. She was escaping much sooner than she'd thought possible, and that alone was enough to make her giddy. She didn't feel bad about leaving those two on their own downstairs, she simply held her letter to her chest and sighed deeply once again. She lifted it to her face and read the script, detailing what she'd need for school. She knew she'd be a little behind, her mother wasn't a great teacher like her father, but she was sure she'd be fine. She wouldn't let anyone know she was struggling, if she happened to. It wasn't their place to know. With one last sigh, she pressed the letter to her chest and sank into the bed, into sleep.


End file.
